 |
A Note From Your
First Grade Teachers
|
|
First Grade Connections
November 17th, 2016
|
|
Dear First Grade Families,
Thanksgiving break marks the end of the first trimester. Teachers are busy assessing, evaluating and reporting on student's progress and the students continue to amaze us each week. We hope that everyone has a warm and relaxing Thanksgiving break and we look forward to the stories and memories that your children will share with us upon their return.
P.S. Please make sure you check your child's backpack tonight for their school pictures.
|
Sincerely,
Your First Grade Team
Stephanie Hanepen, Lesley Stevens and Vienna Klingele
|
Here's What We've Been Up To:
|
|
Now that we have learned about our classroom libraries and how to choose 'Just Right' books. The students continue to work on building their stamina for reading independently.
This week we introduced the students to their 'book bags'. These are the bags that they will keep their books in for independent reading time. They will 'shop' for books from the classroom library regularly to keep their books fresh and at their appropriate reading level. In addition we have introduced the students to the 'five finger rule' to help them while they are reading.
|
Room 7 has begun using our How To planners to start writing our How To Book. The students are using their planners to guide their writing by looking at each step and then trying to elaborate a little bit on each step. At the same time, the students are looking at using capital letters and periods appropriately. As the students move further along in this project they will be using an independent checklist that is on their writing paper. The checklist asks them; if they used their neatest handwriting, if they used periods and if they reread what they wrote and it makes sense. They have secondary checklist on the backside of their paper that asks them to look for the non fiction tools they have used like; order word, bold word, picture, labels, color and tip box.
In Room 8, we have wrapped up How-To writing momentarily to focus back on writing stories, writing workshop routines and procedures. This week we practiced writing stories across three pages, adding feeling words to our stories, and using capitals and periods when we write.
|
Using similar strategies to addition, the students have begun looking at Subtraction with numbers to 10. They are learning to subtract by 'crossing out', 'counting up from the lower number' and 'counting back from the higher number'. The are completing subtraction sentences and filling in missing values in equations.
|
The past few weeks we have explored Short vowels. We have learned the new word families -ip, -ig, -ill, -ug, -ut, and -un. Work with your child when reading at night to see if they can find some of these word families!
|
This week we continued to discuss maps. We have been looking at 'side view' and bird's eye view' maps. The students drew maps of their bedrooms from a bird's eye view and then were challenged to map their lunches from both angles. They did a great job!
|
The students have been looking at the various markings on maps. Examining lines, colors, shapes, symbols and words. They concluded that a key/legend is necessary to avoid having words all over a map. Together, we created a key/legend that we will use as we begin to map Sea Crest School.
|
This week continued to examine properties of various objects. Properties are words that we use to describe things like; shape, size, texture, weight and color. The students used their senses mindfully to examine a ball from the PE department. Each student had a Ball Observation record sheet and their job was to list 4-6 properties of their ball and then draw the ball exactly as they saw it. Ask your child which ball they chose and have them describe it to you.
|
Proof that it's working!! Above is a picture that we caught Macklin Loubal drawing during choice time. We loved how he labelled the amygdala, the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex.
|
The first gra
ders have been visiting the iLab on Thursday afternoons to create, build and explore with various materials. We have been working hard on expectations and routines in the iLab. In order to make the most of our time there, we have been practicing mindful listening and using our Brain Boss. We are working on being able to clean up and rotate quickly between stations so each student has a chance with each material. We have been noticing a great deal of cooperation and collaboration between peers and groups. Way to go!
|
After reading a book called "Sticks and Stones" about a friend who sticks up for another friend who is getting teased, we were inspired. Room 8 designated a bulletin board where we can celebrate the kind and helpful behavior that happens at school. When we see it we write it on a sticky note and add it to the board. Things that have been written so far include "_______ included me in a game when I felt lonely during recess" or "I fell and _______ stopped what he was playing to help me up."
We have also learned some fun new games during morning meeting including "Double, Double, This, This" and "Fruit Salad". All of the games we play are ways that we can laugh together and be challenged to work as a group.
|
Each year Sea Crest School participates in the Adopt-A-Family program through Coastside Hope. The program serves local families who are in need, over the holiday season by providing them with essentials and gifts for their children. This year our family is a single mom of 3. We are hoping to get everything on her list and more! You can sign up to donate by cicking on the links below. All gifts must be new and unwrapped. Please bring them to the appropriate classroom by December 6th. Thanks in advance
|
Our next field trip will be to see the ODC perform the Velveteen Rabbit at the Novellus Theatre in San Francsico on Friday, December 9th. To sign up to be a driver please click
here
|
|
|
Optional Homework Packages
|
|
|
Thanks so much to Karen Doherty (John's mom) and Mollie Tobin (Bedrich's mom) for volunteering to be Mystery Readers!
|
To sign up to be a Mystery Reader in the future, please click
here
.
|
*** Severe Food Allergies ***
|
|
During this time of the year when there are many classroom or school-wide events and celebrations it is important to remember the critical medical challenges food-borne allergies can pose to students. It is especially crucial to be mindful of the potentially life-threatening impact of peanuts and tree nuts. As you send food items to school for group consumption, please review our guidelines from our Family Handbook below.
Some students at Sea Crest have
severe food allergies including dairy, gluten, soy, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts. These allergies can be life threatening and many times can be triggered by contact alone and not only by ingestion of the food. By far the largest category of severe life threatening allergies comes from nuts.
We ask that the entire Sea Crest community become informed and sensitive to this issue.
When preparing food for potlucks, bake sales, celebrations, or community gatherings, please avoid peanuts and tree nuts and clearly mark any dishes that may include them.
"We are each other's keepers"
|
- If there is an emergency, please call Cathy at the front desk, at 650.712.9892.
|
Do you have photos you'd be willing to share with the school?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
